Cruise the Kanc
The Kancamagus Highway is a 26.5 mile scenic drive that runs through the White Mountain National Forest from Conway to Lincoln, New Hampshire. This drive is beautiful year-round, and is a particular draw during foliage season. In the summer, there are places to swim in the Swift River with natural water slides and pools. There is a small fee for parking along the Kanc, but all the money goes back into the maintenance of it. A particular favorite destination of mine is Sabbaday Falls. It’s a bit past Bear Notch Road on the left coming from Conway. A small hike in is rewarded with an incredible blue green pool and a beautiful small and accessible waterfall. Pack a lunch and picnic at any of the stops along the way. The whole drive, which climbs to just this side of a mile above sea level before descending back into Lincoln, takes a hour or so with no stops.
Be sure to bring a camera. There’s no end of photo ops.
Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik
Boston Travels: Enjoying Quincy Market
There is enough budget wise stuff to do in and around here to fill a day. Boutique window shopping, street performers, amazing food (or pack a lunch), and room for kids to leap and hop are just some of the attractions. Planning a trip to include Quincy Market (Faneuil Hall Marketplace)? Make it on a Saturday, bring shopping bags and include a trip to the nearby Farmer’s Market. There are good deals all day, but visiting at the end of the day is best for two reasons — you’re not toting fresh produce all day AND the vendors are more willing to deal, because they don’t want to tote that produce back home.
Also, the Freedom Trail passes by Quincy Market and the remarkably moving Holocaust Memorial is right there as well.
Photo credit: fuzzcat
Maine Wildlife Park
There is no one who comes to visit Maine for a week, a weekend or a summer that doesn’t aspire to see, at least, a moose. The intrepid wildlife seeker can find an alternative to driving the highways and byways in the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine. Open from April to Veteran’s Day, the park is a self-sufficient facility under the auspices of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IF&W).
Entrance fees are between $5-$7.00, but your money will be well spent as it goes back to the maintenance of the Park. Many of the animals at the Park were brought there because they were injured or orphaned or have become human dependent and cannot survive on their own in the wild.
A big ‘must see’ at the Park is the Dry Mills Fish Hatchery which raises thousands of Brook Trout annually.
Bring stuff to barbecue, pack a picnic lunch, or purchase lunch from the snack shack. Stop in at the Visitor’s Center or visit the Nature Store. Walk the tree trail or animal trail to learn more about the flora and fauna native to Maine. To locals, especially those with children, visits to this park are part and parcel of summer in Maine. Visitors to Maine should include it on their travel agenda, too.
Concord Coach Lines – Affordable and comfortable
When it comes to traveling to Boston from Maine or New Hampshire, one option stands head and shoulders above the others, in my humble opinion. That option is the highway coaches run by Concord Coach Lines.
Concord’s routes all end at either South Station or Logan Airport. The price is reasonable — $25.00 same-day round trip ticket through 3/31/10 — and the amenities are stellar. Some buses have power outlets in the seats, some have WiFi. Some offer water and a snack at the beginning of the trip. All have complimentary headsets for watching a movie or listening to one of four types of music. I have found these coaches always to be clean and comfortable, non-smoking, and equipped with bathroom.
Another point of note is that these coaches run on time! Portland, Maine, to walking around Boston in two hours. That is not going to happen with any other means of transport.
Boston, Mass, is not an easy city to navigate by car if one is not familiar with it. My suggestion? Make the most of your day by taking a Concord Trailways bus and walk it when you get there.
3 Travel Items You Can Buy at the Pharmacy
Tired of spending big bucks on your travel supplies? There are many places to shop affordably for things the specialty stores overcharge you for. One place that’s often overlooked is your local pharmacy chain. Read more
Ten Travel Souvenirs You Can Make with Beads
Whether strung loosely for resale or on a tribal necklace, beads are fantastic souvenir items to collect on your world travels. What’s more, the travel souvenirs you can make with beads provide a fair amount of creative diversity. Read more
See Some of the Most Expensive U.S. Cities for Cheap
Want to see some of the most expensive cities in the United States? Bring your tent! Many of the more cost-heavy destinations in America can also be enjoyed via campground, including New York, Washington and even Las Vegas. Read on for details.
During a flood recovery period where we had to live like cyber nomads, my husband and I discovered a national campground chain with locations all over the country. KOA sites feature electricity, water, fire pits, picnic tables and my personal favorite, WiFi. They also have clean showers and toilets at the main facility, along with various other frequent amenities like laundry, pool, hot tub, snack shack, play area, club house, structured family activities and pet parades for the kids. Their main office area has a convenience store set up for incidentals and a mailing service if you need to post something while you’re staying there. We even had pizza delivered one night when it was too wet to cook outside the tent.
While I’m sure there are other great campgrounds available around the country, KOA offers an array of locations suitable for long term touring or trips up and down the coast. At the campground outside of Washington, DC we were just a skip and a jump from the train into the city that offers a straight shot to the national mall and all of the free exhibits at the Smithsonian.
When my good friend and colleague had her book signing party in Manhattan, we camped at the KOA just outside of the city, enjoyed the affordable and ample day parking at the train station and rode in comfort to New York where we met up with her for her event at Starbucks later that afternoon. I noticed there’s one in Vegas as well. All in all an affordable way to go for the budget traveler who needs to stay wired while on the road.
Related Readings: Going Green on the Road, How to Travel Light and Low Budget and Frugal Transportation in the City.
Photo Credit: Paul Carroll
Ten Universal Travel Skills
While travel skills in general are likely too numerous to list efficiently, these ten are the ones Trek Hound consider to be universally helpful. What are they? Read more
Budget Traveler’s Picnic Article
Flickr Photo Credit: Johan Larsson
If you’ve been a reader of this blog for a while now, you know that David and I are big fans of the picnic option while on the road. Read more
